Trump is already fundraising off Stephen Breyer's retirement


Former President Donald Trump's fundraising team lost no time in capitalizing on Supreme Court Justice Stephen Breyer's reported plan to retire at the end of the current term.
"BREAKING: A SUPREME COURT JUSTICE IS RETIRING," read a fundraising text sent out just hours after news of Breyer's intentions broke. "Biden will appoint a LIBERAL ACTIVIST. Pres Trump activated an EMERGENCY 5X-IMPACT."
Politico White House correspondent Eugene Daniels shared a screenshot of the text on Twitter.
The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
Breyer, 83, is the oldest member of the Supreme Court, having been nominated by former President Bill Clinton in 1994. His retirement will allow President Biden to name a nominee to the Supreme Court, maintaining the court's current ideological balance for the near future.
Trump has frequently been mocked and criticized for the forceful tone of his fundraising messages.
In an August piece for The Spectator World headlined "I think Donald Trump's email team is trying to murder me," Matt Purple wrote that "people who give small amounts to political campaigns are generally decent sorts and deserve better than to be bullied by a team of tinpot PR henchmen leaning on the caps lock."
A New York Times report published a few months earlier revealed a darker side to Trump's fundraising machine. According to the Times, in September 2020 fundraising company WinRed began "to set up recurring donations by default for online donors, for every week until the election. Contributors had to wade through a fine-print disclaimer and manually uncheck a box to opt out."
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
As the election neared, the Times report continued, "the Trump team … introduced a second prechecked box, known internally as a 'money bomb,' that doubled a person's contribution."
Trump's campaign had to pay more than $60 million in refunds — more than 10 times the amount Biden's campaign paid back — but was able to cover the costs with money raised after the election to "Stop the Steal."
Grayson Quay was the weekend editor at TheWeek.com. His writing has also been published in National Review, the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, Modern Age, The American Conservative, The Spectator World, and other outlets. Grayson earned his M.A. from Georgetown University in 2019.
-
Should Britain withdraw from the European Convention on Human Rights?
Talking Point With calls now coming from Labour grandees as well as Nigel Farage and the Tories, departure from the ECHR 'is starting to feel inevitable'
-
5 outspoken cartoons about Epstein survivors taking center stage
Cartoons Artists take on cover-ups, Trump surrounded, and more
-
Codeword: September 6, 2025
The Week's daily codeword puzzle
-
Why are Trump's health rumors about more than just presidential fitness?
TODAY'S BIG QUESTION Extended absences and unexplained bruises have raised concerns about both his well-being and his administration's transparency
-
'The McDonald's menu board is one fascinating thing'
Instant Opinion Opinion, comment and editorials of the day
-
DC sues Trump to end Guard 'occupation'
Speed Read D.C. Attorney General Brian Schwalb argues that the unsolicited military presence violates the law
-
RFK Jr. faces bipartisan heat in Senate hearing
Speed Read The health secretary defended his leadership amid CDC turmoil and deflected questions about the restricted availability of vaccines
-
White House defends boat strike as legal doubts mount
Speed Read Experts say there was no legal justification for killing 11 alleged drug-traffickers
-
Epstein accusers urge full file release, hint at own list
speed read A rally was organized by Reps. Ro Khanna and Thomas Massie, who are hoping to force a vote on their Epstein Files Transparency Act
-
Court hands Harvard a win in Trump funding battle
Speed Read The Trump administration was ordered to restore Harvard's $2 billion in research grants
-
Florida aims to end all state vaccine requirements
Speed Read Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. continues to cut vaccine access and install anti-vaccine activists at the FDA and CDC